People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 199, The Fourth Young Master's Furious Outburst

Suddenly, the once quiet woods were filled with the sound of hurried footsteps. Hundreds of burly men in various clothes and with fierce faces emerged from the woods, each with a red cloth tied around their arm.

The man in the lead looked at the red cloths on the arms of these people with a look of surprise and doubt.

"Are you bandits from Rotten Wind Village?" the man asked in astonishment.

He initially thought the attackers were Bai Niao, Ji Wuye's subordinates, but he never expected them to be mountain bandits who had been circling around Yewang City for years. However, he then realized something even more terrifying.

The bandits near Yewang City not only appeared near Xinzheng, but also attacked them with crossbows from the South Korean military. It would be impossible for this to happen without someone instigating it.

But who can command these ruthless bandits who roar like tigers in the mountains and act with impunity? It's hard to guess.

"You are bandits from Lanfeng Mountain in Yewang City. What are you doing near Xinzheng? Let me tell you, these goods belong to Liu Yi, the Right Sima of the Border Army. You'd better leave now!" The leader shouted angrily at the bandits around him, trying to use Liu Yi's reputation in the Border Army to scare them away.

However, instead of being frightened by the man's words, the bandits revealed a sinister smile.

"Right Sima Liu Yi? I'm robbing Liu Yi's goods!"

"Hahaha, I'm a bandit from Yewang Mountain. Who would suspect us when goods are stolen from Xinzheng territory?"

"Why waste words with him! Take care of them, grab the loot, and leave!"

"kill!!"

Hundreds of ruthless bandits brandished all sorts of weapons and charged at the thirty-odd men. The leader of the group was entangled by the bandit leader and could only watch helplessly as his men gradually died at the hands of the bandits.

The leader of the bandits was momentarily distracted, and the bandit leader seized the opportunity to kill him with an axe.

After spitting on the man's corpse, the bandit leader addressed his men.

"One person finishes the job, and take all the crossbow bolts and belongings with them. Don't leave any evidence."

"Yes!"

The bandits quickly split into three groups: one group was responsible for finishing off the enemies, another group collected the crossbow bolts they had fired, and the rest transferred the sacks from the wagon to the wagons they had brought.

After confirming that there were no survivors and no evidence left at the scene, the bandit leader ordered a retreat.

"withdraw!"

"Yes."

Hundreds of people vanished into the vast forest in an instant, leaving behind only corpses and several wagons reduced to mere planks.

The next day, as dawn broke, Xu Qing got up from Zi Nu's bed, while Zi Nu remained fast asleep.

Xu Qing looked at Zi Nu beside him. Zi Nu's pretty face showed some fatigue, her purple eyes were closed, and her rosy lips were slightly parted as she breathed.

On her fair neck were two or three hickeys planted by the old herdsman Xu Qing; her purple hair had fallen loose and could no longer serve as Xu Qing's steering wheel.

"You look so beautiful even when you're sleeping."

Xu Qing sighed inwardly and rubbed his shoulder. There was a deep tooth mark on his shoulder, which he knew without a doubt was from Zi Nu.

"Go back and change your clothes first. You can't keep covering it up with green tangerines."

As Xu Qing spoke, he tiptoed up without waking Zi Nu, who was sleeping.

After getting dressed in the outer room, Xu Qing went to the table, picked up a brush, wrote her destination on a bamboo slip, and then carefully left the room.

After leaving Zi Nu's courtyard, they encountered some girls who were either up early or had not yet rested.

"Oh~ Brother-in-law, you've finally decided to come out of Sister Zi Nu's room." "Brother-in-law, are you going to the Imperial Hospital for your shift?"

Listening to the teasing of her sisters-in-law, Xu Qing responded generously and left the backyard chatting and laughing.

Just as Xu Qing stepped out of the Zilan Pavilion, she encountered an unexpected person.

Han Fei stared at Xu Qing in surprise, rubbed his eyes, and then asked curiously.

"Brother Xu, what are you doing here!?"

"What do you think?" Xu Qing asked Han Fei.

Han Fei was still wearing that purple brocade robe, but his face was full of fatigue, his dark circles under his eyes were particularly noticeable, and he reeked of alcohol. He looked listless and like someone who had just had a hangover.

"Hehehe, I get it, I get it," Han Fei said with a wicked grin.

Xu Qing's appearance at the entrance of Zilan Pavilion early in the morning must mean he stayed overnight there and is now preparing to go to the Imperial Hospital for his shift.

"It's getting late, I'll take my leave now. We can talk again another time," Xu Qing said to Han Fei.

As a qualified imperial physician, being on time for work is the only principle he can adhere to. If he chats with Han Fei for a few more minutes, he won't have time to change his clothes.

"Alright, if Brother Xu has time another day, I'll host a banquet for you at Zilan Pavilion," Han Fei said with a smile.

Xu Qing nodded slightly and left directly. He had important things to do today; tonight was the Qianlong Hall's treasure exchange conference.

Zi Nu told me last night that she was going to deliver water to Han Fei to dispel gold, which means that Zhang Liang will soon be looking for Han Fei. He must have Chao Nu Yao deliver the message to Ji Wu Ye so that Ji Wu Ye can incite a mutiny in the border army as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, at the Fourth Young Master's residence.

Han Yu stared coldly at the crossbow bolt in his hand, then suddenly snapped it in half and threw it in front of Han Qianqiu.

"Damn Ji Wuye! How was the whereabouts of the military funds leaked? Investigate immediately!" Han Yu said angrily.

This morning, just as he was about to go to handle government affairs, he received news that the military pay sent to the border had been robbed. Furthermore, South Korean military-issue crossbows were found among the corpses at the scene, which was practically an open admission that Ji Wuye had sent people to rob his money.

That's over 20,000 gold coins, and they were all collected from local clans, so they need to be returned.

Originally, he planned to stabilize the border troops and then, after Zhang Kaidi recovered the military pay, take the same amount from it and return it to the clan.

Now that the money has been lost, not only has the expected goal not been achieved, but it has also alarmed Ji Wuye. Most importantly, he needs to pay out of his own pocket to return the money to the clan.

He simply didn't want to take money from the Fourth Prince's residence, so he borrowed money from the clan!
"Fourth Master, the investigation is complete, and our men have made no mistakes," Han Qianqiu said.

"How did Ji Wuye know the whereabouts of the military funds? Send people to investigate again immediately and find out the reason!" Han Yu shouted angrily.

In order to successfully deliver more than 20,000 gold ingots to the border, he devised a meticulous plan and arranged reliable manpower.

Now that the plan has been leaked and the gold coins have been stolen, Han Yu believes there is only one possibility: someone leaked the information.

"Yes," Han Qianqiu said.

Han Qianqiu turned and left to investigate those in the know again. When the door was closed again, Han Yu could no longer suppress his anger.

He overturned the table in front of him, and the writing brushes, ink sticks, and bamboo slips crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

Upon hearing this, the maids outside the door trembled and dared not move. Ever since Han Yu became lame, his personality had lost its former composure and magnanimity. They dared not rashly go in and disturb Han Yu's outburst, lest they become the target of his venting.

(End of this chapter)